


I'll Never Let You Go

by TwylaTH



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-13 14:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14114427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwylaTH/pseuds/TwylaTH
Summary: Steve and Tony haven't stayed in contact after the Civil War. With Thanos' threat looming over the earth, they have to get over their problems and find a way to work together again. And to defeat Thanos there has to be sacrifices, just maybe they will find each other against all odds in the end.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first work and I only have the general outline， but there is no guarantee. The plot is not exactly in line with the Infinity War trailor.  
> Also, English is not my first language, so forgive me if there are any grammar mistakes.  
> At last, hope you'll enjoy it.

It’s been two years.

Two years of radio silence since Siberia and it was driving Steve crazy. Life had been busy in Wakanda, believe it or not, for a wanted criminal superhero whose best friend was once again frozen and whose teammates are scattered around the world. He had been learning the new culture of Wakanda and going on secret missions with T’Challa and occasionally with Sam or Natasha. It was almost like old times when he went on missions, losing himself in the adrenaline of fighting, but the lack of shield on his arm and a certain tin-can flying in the sky were constant reminder of what he had lost. He gave Tony the flip phone two years ago fully expecting to receive something in return, if not a call for help, then a message accusing Steve of betraying and abandoning him. But for two years, the phone remains silent. 

Staring at the phone sitting on his table, Steve sighed. Maybe he should be the one reaching out, instead of just waiting for Tony to react, but it just didn’t seem like the right thing to do at the time and now it was too late. But for god’s sake, he missed Tony, he missed Tony’s big honey brown eyes and eyelashes that seemed to go on for miles, he missed their easy banter and late night talks, and he missed the glint in Tony’s eyes when he got into his inventing zone, and the determination on his face when he faced enemies head on. Sure, he’d seen Tony enough on TV, since being Tony Stark means you can’t stay out of camera for too long, but it was never the Tony he knew, always just the billionaire genius for the public. Standing from where he slumbered in the chair, Steve looked out the window. Even the breathtaking view of Wakanda couldn’t raise his spirit. Steve had known for a while that his feelings for Tony was way beyond friendship, which wasn’t hard given how much he was thinking about him. When he woke up in the new age Tony had been there for him, helping him adjust in his own way, giving him a new home. How Steve could screw that up was a mystery. After all this time the regret felt like an old ache now, like prodding at an old ugly wound. No matter what, Steve needed to pick himself up, there were people depended on him. 

Pocketing the phone, Steve went out for his usual morning run. His route circled around the palace and sometimes into the market or further into the wild if he felt like it. Wakanda was still recovering from the fight started by Erik Killmonger, at which time Steve was away on a mission in Syria. Steve had tried to apologize to T’Challa for not being able to help or repay his hospitality, but he just waved it off, claiming he wanted nothing in return when he took Steve’s team in. When Steve returned to the palace common room after a good run and a fresh shower, he felt much better than before. But after he found all his teammates currently in Wakanda all gathered in front of the TV, looking tensed and worried, all his good mood vanished and he immediately transformed into fighting stance.

“What happened?” Steve asked urgently, watching what looked to be news report of New York on the screen. People on the street were looking up at the sky, which was filled with cloud a strange shade of crimson and ashes.

“There is a problem,” Sam replied, not bothering to look up from the TV. “ It was reported that earlier today there was some kind of an explosion in the space, pretty close to earth it seems, and a huge burning meteor fell through the atmosphere and crashed somewhere in New York. But when people tried to find it, there was only ruins of a deserted factory, the meteor was nowhere to be seen.”

“And the sky looks weird too,” Wanda chipped in. “With all the lightning going on. It’s almost like something or someone set fire to the sky.”

“Is anyone hurt in the process?” 

“There hasn’t been report on any casualties. It’s fortunate that the building was empty when the meteor crushed it.” Natasha replied, leaning on the couch.

Steve relaxed a little. At least they were not too late, and they still had time to investigate the situation and form a plan. Although they were not necessarily needed since it was in New York and Tony could mostly likely have it handled. But even before he finished the thought, the view on TV suddenly shook violently, the reporter’s eyes widened in fear, her shivering finger pointing at the sky beyond the view. When the camera turned to that direction, the four of them watched in horror as a black hole appeared through the thick cloud, electricity crackling around its edges. The shape of a giant spaceship could be seen in the hole making its way towards the earth. Natasha was the first one to shake out the shock. She started calling T’Challa through the comm and rushing to the door. 

Steve reached into his pocket numbly. Maybe it’s time for him to make a move.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me a few days to write the second chapter. I've been a bit busy lately. The second chapter is from Tony's angle. Hope you'll enjoy it!

It’s been two years. 

Tony looked into the mirror, there were bags under his eyes and grease stuck in his hair, basically he looked like he was about to pass out, being holed up in his workshop for three days straight. Scars and bruises from that fight had long been healed, yet he could still feel the hurt sometimes. How ironic it was for a futurist like him to constantly dwell in the past, Tony thought sarcastically. And why was it so hard to get over one person, it wasn’t like he hadn’t lost anyone before. Tony never used the phone Steve gave him, though there were times he was really tempted, usually when he was highly sleep-deprived or drunk off his ass. But he never really dialed the number or sent any messages. Tony was confused of his feelings towards Steve, after all this time he was no longer angry, but he was not sure whether he really forgave Steve for keeping something so important and personal from him. If he was honest with himself, Tony was also afraid, afraid of another fight, afraid that he would let his temper take over and say something he didn’t mean, wrecking their already fragile relationship for good. At least now there was still hope and possibilities. It’s a bit pathetic but he always took the phone with him.

“Boss, you’ve been standing here for a long time. Miss Potts has been asking for you.” Friday’s cheerful voice brought Tony back to the present. Right, he had meetings to attend to and there was no use keep thinking about the past regrets if he wasn’t going to do anything about them.

“Alright. Tell Pep I’ll be there in ten.”

“You better hurry, boss. I don’t think Miss Potts will be pleased if you’re late again.”

“OK Fine. Sometimes I wonder if Pepper bribed you into making my life more difficult.” Tony mumbled. He took a quick shower to clear his mind before heading out. It was a sunny day. Happy was already waiting by the car with a large cup of coffee and a Burger King bag when he got out.

“Happy, remind me to give you a big raise.”

“Miss Potts already did that. And technically you can’t give me a raise since she is the boss now.” Happy said, handing him the food.

“Oh, you wound me. I believe I still have a say in my company.” 

“Whatever you say, boss. The spider kid called this morning, by the way, asking if he can swing by later for a science project.” Happy said, getting in the car.

“Yeah, the meeting is likely going to take most of the day. We can go pick him up later.” Tony said as they pulled away. Tony had been living in the Avengers base since he sold the tower, focusing more on avengers business, building new armors and amending the SHRA, leaving most of Stark Industries work to Pepper. Rhodes and Vision was also living there, training Shield new recruits and helping with SHRA. Natasha came by occasionally, she never said anything but Tony knew she met up with Steve’s team too. And then there was Peter, he was a bright and intelligent kid, also a troublemaker, Tony always enjoyed spending time with him and was slightly disappointed when he refused the offer to be an avenger. Tony was grateful he still had them.

It took less an hour for them to reach the company, Pepper only looked mildly irritated when Tony strode into the fully seated meeting room. The meeting itself was pretty boring, and he had to pinch himself to keep from falling asleep but he couldn’t help his mind from wandering to his new arc reactor design. Tony was going through an equation when thunder suddenly cracked through the sky, making him jump. It took him a moment to realize that the sky had been clear when he walked into the building, but now it was almost dark. How weird it was for the weather to change so quickly. When lightning shone through the city, following by deafening thunder, Tony had a sinking feeling in his heart. The shareholders seemed unaffected though, continuing with their debate over the new product line Stark Industry was planning to launch. Tony kept his gaze outside, frowning, only returned his attention back to the meeting when Pepper not so subtly kicked him under the table. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong or going to be.

When his phone rung Tony was relieved to have an excuse to get out, though it was a strange number. Mumbling an apology, he headed to the corridor before answering.

“Hello? Tony, is that you?” Bruce’s voice sounded through the line, and Tony froze.

“Bruce? Where the hell have you been? What happened? Why are you panting?” Tony had about a million questions, but Bruce answered none of them. 

“It’s a long story and we don’t have time. There’s an emergency. Where are you?”

“I’m at Start Industry headquarter in New York.” Tony replied, already on alert.

“OK, get to your office. We’ll meet you there in five.” Bruce said before hanging up. Tony fired a message to Pepper and went straight to his office, wondering who “we” were and why they needed to meet in his office of all places.

Apparently it was because of magic. When that strange-looking man dressed in a cloak, an honest-to-god cloak, appeared out of nowhere through a circus fire loop looking thing, Tony was in his suit and ready to blow him out of the window. And he would do it if not for Bruce walking through behind him and looking like he’d been hit by a truck.

“Tony, it’s so nice to see you. It’s been while.” Bruce said, giving him a tired smile. “And this is Dr Strange. He is a magician and he is also our ally so you can put the repulsor down now.”

“Welcome back Bruce. What do you mean by magician? And is Strange your real name?” Tony asked, lowering his hand reluctantly.

“My name is Stephen Strange. And magician means that I can do magic, I thought I’ve already shown you that.” Strange said in a dry tone.

“I’m still not quite convinced but I’ll let it drop for now. Bruce, you mentioned an emergency?”

“Yes, the quinjet Hulk took off with crashed in a planet called Sakaar, and I was trapped in Hulk form these two years,” Bruce paused at Tony’s sharp intake of breath, giving him a reassuring smile. “It’s OK. I hardly felt the time pass. Anyway, about a week ago Thor fell there from his fight with his sister Hela, who invaded Asgard and claimed to be the queen. Thor managed to stop her before she killed any more innocent people and invaded the nine realms. But we couldn’t save Asgard. So we gathered the remaining refugees in the spaceship Loki stole from Sakaar and …” 

“Wait, what? Loki? Isn’t he supposed to be dead?” Tony interrupted in horror.

“Well he isn’t and he’s some kind of a good guy now. I know it’s hard to wrap your mind around it but it’s not the point. We were approaching earth when a spaceship ten times our size attacked us. It was an army led by someone called Thanos, and he is powerful, more powerful than you can imagine and we were no match for them. The war was brutal, most of the refugees were slaughtered and Thor was lost in space. When Hulk confronted Thanos, he merely waved his hand and threw Hulk down to earth. I fell in New York and Dr Strange found me. Tony, he’s coming to earth and I don’t think we can take him.” 

“So do we know what he wants from earth?” Tony felt cold sweat broke out of his skin. His heart rate began to pick up. This was exactly what he feared.

“Not yet. But we need to form a line of defense first. There isn’t much time left. Stark, can you assemble the remaining avengers as soon as possible?” Strange asked.

“Yeah Friday, send an alert to the base. Tell them to prepare for the fight.” Tony said, turning around and reaching for the flip phone. They were going to need all the help they could get. Before he could hit the call button, the gasps behind him got his attention, he looked up outside the window and saw the sky opening up.

‘Oh no,’ Tony thought. ‘It’s too late.’


	3. Chapter 3

“Tony?” Steve asked urgently, already rushing to the quinjet T’challa prepared. He could feel the adrenaline from the upcoming fight and the anxiety of finally talking to Tony. Perhaps more of the latter but he couldn’t afford to dwell on his feelings, what was happening right now was much bigger than his crush on his teammate.

“No, this is Bruce. Tony’s already up in the sky, he asked me to call you. Guess you beat me to it.”

“OK, Bruce. What’s happening?” Steve cut straight to the point, knowing they didn’t really have time to discuss Bruce’s absence these two years. He tried to ignore the slight disappointment of not hearing Tony’s voice on the other side.

“We’re under attack by someone called Thanos. He has an army, probably a larger one than the Chitauri’s. We’re gonna need all the help we can get.” Bruce sounded like he was running.

“I have Natasha, Wanda, Sam and T’Challa with me. We’ll be there in about twenty minutes.” Steve didn’t know if he was imaging it, but he heard Bruce’s breath caught when he said Nat’s name. The quinjet shot into the sky, speeding up towards New York. Steve made a mental note to thank Shuri later for upgrading the quinjet and he was glad T’challa was with them. There had been brief discussion of whether the king should come too, but he insisted on helping.

“OK. I am helping Rhodey and Shield evacuate the civilians. Tony, spiderman, Vision and Dr Strange are scattered across the city, trying to resist the army. I don’t know how long we can last.”

“Just hold on. I’ll call you when we reach the city.” Steve didn’t ask who Dr Strange was, he figured since Bruce listed his name with the rest of the team so casually, he must have been at least on their side.

“OK.”Bruce said tersely before hanging up. Steve lowered the phone and sighed heavily, desperation creeping up his heart. His teammates were out there fighting an unknown enemy probably more dangerous than the aliens that left half of New York in ruins, yet there was nothing Steve could do now but pray. He felt helpless. It wasn’t the first time they faced threats this rate, but it was the first time happened when the team was broken and everything was uncertain.

After his short debrief, everyone on the quinjet fell silent. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife, they were all worried and a bit nervous, but ready to fight. Natasha visibly tensed at the mention of Bruce, she didn’t react otherwise but for her, it already spoke volume. Steve sat down beside her, slightly away from the others. Natasha nodded at him, but didn’t say anything.

“You alright?” Steve asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Natasha asked in return, arching an eyebrow, as if to challenge him to point out the elephant.

“I know you’ve been trying to tack him down in two years.” Steve said, not feeling the need to clarify who he referred to. People usually feared Natasha enough to back down, But Steve wouldn’t. Not that she wasn’t as deadly and fierce as it could get, Steve was just too stubborn and he about her too much to back down. And he knew she understood. Natasha just sighed and stayed silent for a while, gaze unfocused.

“I understand that he didn’t want to be found, so I stopped searching after a while. I just thought...” Natasha hesitated. Steve knew what she left unsaid. As far as he knew, Natasha and Bruce hadn’t been in a confirmed relationship, but they always shared something special. If there was someone Bruce would turn to when he was troubled, it was Natasha, so the fact that Bruce hadn’t reached out to her must have hurt a bit. Steve reached out to give her shoulder a comforting squeeze, Natasha relaxed a bit.

“Anyway, we’re adults, whatever problem we have, we can work them out after we win the fight.” She said,returning to her usual self. Steve nodded but she wasn’t finished. 

“However, can we say the same about you and Tony?” Natasha asked, giving him a small smirk. Steve groaned, rubbing his face with a hand. He should have known Natasha would turn this against him. She seldom brought Tony up these last two years, knowing he was unwilling to talk about that. But he guessed they had to face it now, since he would likely meet Tony soon. However, he genuinely didn’t know the answer. He trusted Tony to be able to put aside their disagreement in the face of such a crisis, but he doubted they could fight together as seamlessly as before, with what happened in Siberia still so vivid in his memory. And Steve’s feelings towards the man would only make things more complicated.

“I don’t know. Guess we just had to pull ourselves together, after all, we can’t afford to get distracted now.” Steve finally squeezed out.

“You do know that Tony cared too much about you to hold grudges, right?” Steve turned to Natasha in surprise, who now had a concerned look on her face,softening her sharp angles. “Tony always carried your shabby flip-phone around. I think he’s waiting for you to make the first move,since he’s not really good at dealing with relationships and feelings.”

“I’ve done unforgivable things to him. I don’t think he’ll ever want to see me again, let alone resume our friendship.” Steve said quietly, looking down at the floor.

“Yes, you were a total jerk to him. But he wasn’t completely unblamable in the whole deal. You both made mistakes. It doesn’t mean it would be the end, you just need to talk this out. I think you hurt him more by remaining silent these two years. Do you care so little about him that you won’t even try?”

“Of course not.” Steve shot back immediately, clenching his fists. “I will do anything to undo the hurt I’ve caused him. I just don’t know how.” 

“What’s done is done. You can’t turn back time, but you can try to apologize, in person this time, and earn his forgiveness. Maybe you’ll have a second chance and a new start. Who knows, but it certainly won’t happen if you just keep your distance.”

“OK. I’ll find the chance to talk to him.” Steve said, leaning back against the seat, feeling the fight leaving his body. Nat was right, he had to do something or he would lose any chance there was with Tony, which was unacceptable. Steve was a strategist and he would make a plan.

“You’ll be fine.” Natasha gave him a reassuring smile before getting up to check with the pilot. ‘I hope so.’ Steve thought, watching as the distant skyline of New York coming into view. ‘But first we need to win the fight.’


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while since the last chapter, but I seem to have reach a bottleneck, so I may need more time to consider the plot from here. I apologize ahead for the delay. Thank you for reading and hope you'll enjoy it~

“Damn it. Why do they keep coming?” Tony muttered to himself, shooting repulsor at another monster, who looked like Godzilla of smaller size, but no less fierce and horrifying. Tony was exhausted, he had been fighting for what felt like days, but it was actually only less than an hour. After Thanos’ spaceship turned up in New York and sent out troops that reminded Tony of orcs in Lord Of The Ring, there wasn’t really much time to form a plan. They decided not to take the risk when there were civilians running all over the street, so Bruce stayed behind to help with evacuation, which left Tony and Strange fighting alone until Vision and Rhodey could get here. When Peter’s voice cut through the comm stating that he needed a tiny bit of help fighting the large amount of enemies in Queens, Tony almost had a heart attack. It was only fortunate that he was not far away and his Blood Edge armor was fast enough that he was there in time to blast at a monster that was trying to hit Peter from behind. Ever since then, they hadn’t even stopped to take a breath. Tony wondered momentarily whether Bruce managed to reach Steve, they could really use the help Steve promised now. He had even asked Rhodes to bring along the shield. But what if Steve had discarded the phone, after so long of radio silence and he decided it was not worth the trouble to keep the damn thing around. Shaking his head, Tony reminded himself that Steve was a man of his word, if he said he was gonging to come when needed, then he would do it. As if someone above heard what he was thinking, Steve’s voice cracked through the comm. 

“This is Steve Rogers. We’ve checked in with Bruce. I have Black Widow, Falcon, Wanda and Black Panther with me. What’s the plan?” Tony could swear that his heart stopped a beat, relief and something he couldn’t name crashing though him. Steve sounded tired, a bit tense and so familiar. Tony hadn’t realized how much he missed him until now.

“Spider man and I are in Queens,” Realizing his voice was hoarse, Tony cleared his throat before continuing. “Vision is in Manhattan and Strange’s in Brooklyn. Thanos’s soldiers are everywhere. There’s no telling yet what Thanos’ after. It’s your call,cap.” There was a pause before Steve spoke up again, “Alright, Wanda, go help Vision. Natasha and T’challa, go meet up with Dr Strange. Tony, I.m heading your way.” The others all agreed over the comms, but Tony was hardly listening now, with his heartbeat pounding in his ears, the thought of finally meeting Steve again both excited and terrified him. Tony shook his head, this was no time for distraction.

However, seeing Steve running down the street taking down enemies along the way with ease still gave him pause. Steve’s uniform was battered, almost turning black, the star in the middle of his chest was barely visible. His hair was longer and a shade darker, but the beard was not something Tony expected, it made Steve look older and grimmer. All in all it was not a bad look on him but Tony still preferred his old look. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the shield on his arm, and it looked much more suitable there than at the corner of his workshop, Tony thought.

“Nice beard.” Tony teased when Steve got close. He just couldn’t help it. Steve looked up in surprise, like he wasn’t expecting Tony to talk to him in such an easy tone. With a hesitant smile, Steve said back, “What can I say, it makes me look sophisticated.” Tony chuckled lightly. 

“ It’s so nice nice to see you again, Tony. I’ve missed you and I’m sorry. I just need to tell you that in person.” Steve said, face earnest. Tony found himself suddenly choked up with emotion. He felt contradicted, on the one side he longed to tell Steve just how much he missed him back, on the other side he still couldn’t quit get Steve’s retreating back two years ago out of his memory. There were still so many problems between them left unsolved, but standing there in a ruined street with Thano’s threat looming over them, they didn’t seem to matter much anymore.They just stared at each other for a moment, Tony felt like everything around them fell silent, like they were the only people left in this world, an wave of calmness washed over him. It was a strange feeling to be having at the middle of a battlefield. After what Steve kept from him, he should have a hard time trusting him, but now he knew that he trusted Steve with his life. Looking into Steve’s eyes, Tony suddenly felt for the first time after the fight broke out that they could do this, together. Another wave of soldiers coming down the street broke the moment. “OK. There’s a fight waiting for us. We can talk later.” Tony said, watching as Steve changed back into Captain America mode, gripping the shield tighter. 

“Let’s go. Tony, you stay in the air and I’ll hold the ground. Spider man, you’re fast and flexible, take out anyone we missed.” Tony nodded and Peter’s cheerful “Copy” sounded in his ear. How that kid stayed positive even in this situation was a mystery to Tony. It was a wonder that Steve and him could still work together so well, it was almost like a dance. But even with a super soldier here, they were still struggling to hold the line. Thanos’ army were strong and brutal, it was hard enough to beat even one, let alone hundreds of them. 

“Watch out. We’ve got new company.” Strange suddenly said, sounding strained.

“What? There are more of them?” Tony groaned. He just took a brutal hit at the side and crashed into a building, waving a hand at Steve’s concerned face before picking himself up. The energy level of Mark 50 was getting low. More incoming was the last thing he needed right now.

“They are not necessarily hostile.” Natasha cut in. Tony looked up in time to see Thor flied down the sky, his skin crackling with electricity, a quinjet following closely behind shooting at Thanos’ soldiers madly. Friday quickly scanned it for him. Wait, is that a racoon at the front seat?


End file.
